Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2023-42948 is a low-severity Apple macOS issue where a Wi-Fi password may remain on a Mac when activating it in macOS Recovery. The main business concern is unintended retention of wireless credentials during recovery, redeployment, repair, or disposal workflows.
Executive priority
Treat as a low-priority hygiene item unless your organization frequently reimages, repairs, resells, or decommissions Macs. The impact is limited, but retained Wi-Fi credentials can create avoidable exposure in device lifecycle operations.
Technical view
Apple describes this as an improved state-management fix in macOS Sonoma 14. The CVSS vector indicates local access, low attack complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, and low confidentiality impact only. The weakness is mapped to CWE-200, information exposure.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most relevant to Macs running affected pre-fix macOS versions, but the source bundle does not specify exact affected versions. Prioritize managed Macs that undergo macOS Recovery activation, handoff, repair, redeployment, or decommissioning.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. The issue appears local and confidentiality-limited, involving retained Wi-Fi password state rather than remote code execution or privilege escalation.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to Apple's brief advisory and CVE metadata. No exploit details, affected version range, or non-update workaround is provided in the source bundle. Validation should focus on macOS version state and credential-retention behavior in Recovery workflows.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Apple's fixed release, macOS Sonoma 14, on supported Macs.
- Check Apple guidance for any platform-specific update paths.
- Do not assume Recovery activation removes saved Wi-Fi credentials.
- Add credential verification to device handoff and decommissioning workflows.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Macs below macOS Sonoma 14 or with unknown patch status.
- Review recovery, repair, and redeployment procedures for Wi-Fi credential handling.
- Validate updated devices no longer retain Wi-Fi passwords after Recovery activation.
- Document exceptions where devices cannot be upgraded.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-200: Information exposure and cloud metadata lookup
Information exposure and SSRF weaknesses can make discovery, cloud metadata, and credential material review relevant. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCredential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2023-42948 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Low
- CVSS
- 3.3 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N1.81.4Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
3.3LowVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213940CVE reference
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.